Transfofa em Blog

sábado, julho 31, 2010

[Ireland] [Commentary]Irish Labour Party's Policy on Transgender RightsIn light of recent events, where a labour party councillor called for the HSE; to exclude Transgender persons from their services concerning gender reassignment abroad, The Labour Party pointed us (Corktrans Website) to their 2010 conference in Galway, particularly to "Session 1: Promoting Justice and Law Reform; Motion 128".

[Israel]Jerusalem hosts subdued gay pride marchThousands of Israelis marched calmly Thursday in Jerusalem's longest gay pride parade despite opposition from anti-gay demonstrators.The subdued Jerusalem march from the center of town to the parliament building contrasted with flamboyant gay pride parades elsewhere in the world. Organizers said they were adjusting to the religious character of the city and using their march to promote their political agenda.Gay Pride March in Jerusalem Angers Orthodox Jews

[Indonesia]Edict Aims at TV and Sex ChangesIndonesia’s highest Islamic authority has followed up a series of contentious edicts with a new one barring Muslims from watching television gossip shows or having sex-change operations.

[Canada]Untested treatments could put trans people at riskLong-term effects of hormones unknownWhen Ryan Jarman decided to start hormone therapy as a trans man in 2004, he was turned down by no less than 17 doctors.“They all told me no because they didn’t have the experience,” he says. “I offered them information, but they all just weren’t interested.”When he finally found a physician willing to accept him as a patient, Jarman was put on 200 mg of testosterone every two weeks. When he later moved to Vancouver, his new doctor at the Three Bridges Clinic, one of two clinics in Vancouver that treat transsexuals, cut his dose in half and told him trans people are usually started on no more than 35–50 mg of testosterone.

[Canada]Gender change basis of refugee claimAn Irish national who’s been living and working in Nova Scotia is fighting deportation.Tanya Bloomfield, who owns and operates a computer business, is battling federal immigration officials by claiming refugee status — a claim that says she could be the victim of hate crimes if she returns to Europe.Bloomfield, a transgendered female, has been living in the Chester area. She moved to Canada more than three years ago but her applications to remain in this country have not been successful.Irish trans woman applies for refugee status in Canada

[Canada]5 minutes with: Candis CayneCandis Cayne, the 2010 Role Model Grand Marshal of the Vancouver Pride Parade, is the first transgendered actress with a reoccurring role on a network show. She played a transgender character in the television series Dirty Sexy Money on ABC.

[USA]The choice of being transgenderWhy do I choose to be transgendered? It’s a hard life and it’s not like anyone would ever have to know how I really feel inside. You’re right, I do have a “choice.” I could choose to keep my female body and go on living a life of unfulfilled dreams. Because I am not the person in my dreams.

[IN, USA]Transgender woman claims she was mistreated by BMH staffErin Vaught went to the emergency room at Ball Memorial Hospital on July 18 expecting treatment for a lung condition that was causing her to cough up blood.What she got, she says, was treatment of a very different kind.Vaught is a transgender woman, specifically a transsexual, someone who has transitioned or is transitioning from one gender to another. In Vaught's case, it's from male to female. And she said that being a transwoman became an issue the moment she walked into the hospital.Transgender woman says hospital mistreated her

sexta-feira, julho 30, 2010

[Ireland]‘Transphobia’ accusation after councillor’s surgery remarksAn accusation of "transphobia" has been levelled by Sinn Féin at a Labour councillor after he questioned the HSE’s funding of sex reassignment surgery.Galway Labour county councillor Colm Keaveney has stated that the HSE should not pay for public patients to undergo sex-change operations abroad when cuts are being made to frontline services for children.

[Kenya]Myths About Transgender PeopleOn 30 July 2010, a transgender woman (who I shall refer to as Storm) was arrested in Thika District in Kenya's Central Province. She was arraigned in court for intent to commit crime and remanded thereafter in a female remand facility. It was discovered she didn't possess 'female genitalia' the day after. She was thoroughly whipped by a warden for 'causing the confusion'.She was transferred to a police station and placed in isolation. While the senior officer was absent, one of the police officers transferred her to a male cell where she suffered sexual assault on top of being 'baptised' with a bucket full of urine. Her food was grabbed by some inmates. When she reported the matter to the senior officer, she was beaten up by the officer. Three weeks later a law court released her on a personal bond.

[Israel]Rights groups: Doctors discriminating against sex-change patients in IsraelMembers of Israel's transgender community are protesting what they see as discriminatory treatment by the Israeli medical system, including doctors' demands for a psychological evaluation before providing hormonal treatments for people who want to undergo sex changes.A project promoting the right to high-quality health care for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered will be kicked off at today's gay pride parade in Jerusalem.

[India]We have transgender among human beings. Are there transgender among animals?In animals gender identity is a sense of identification with either the male or female sex, as manifested in appearance, behavior, and other aspects of a individual’s life. It is very strong in mammals since sex is determined genetically on the basis of sex chromosomes called allosomes (X and Y chromosomes). In man the gender identity emerges by the age of two or three and is influenced by a combination of biological and sociological factors reinforced at puberty. Once established, it is generally fixed for life.

[India]KUD, UAS considers admission to transgendersTaking a cue from Bangalore University which issued application forms to give admission to transgenders in `Others' category, now the Karnatak University and University of Agricultural Sciences of Dharwad, are also planning on giving special attention to transgenders while taking admission from next academic year.

[Canada]Transgender N.S. woman to seek refugee statusChester business owner says she'll be target of hate if returned to native Ireland.A transgendered Nova Scotia woman who is originally from Ireland said she will claim refugee status if immigration officials try to send her home.Tanya Bloomfield says being transgendered makes her a target for hate in Europe.Bloomfield has been in Canada since 2006, but immigration officials are now asking her to leave. (Photo)

[CA, USA]LA's Transgender Film FestivalThe second annual TG Film Fest will be held at the Renberg Theater on August 28th 2010 with four ninety minute screenings. The TG Film Fest continues to showcase entertaining, poignant, and intriguing visions from the queerest part of the LGBT spectrum.

[CO, USA]Sex-Change Capital Loses a DoctorA doctor known for her expertise in helping transgender people is leaving the so-called sex-change capital of the world for the San Francisco Bay area.Marci Bowers told KMGH News that she was planning on leaving her Trinidad, Colo., practice by October 1 to help more people and to unite with a first-year surgical resident in San Francisco with whom she is in a relationship. (Photo)

[TX, USA]Firefighter's Ex-Wife Comments on Transgender BattleAccompanied by her attorneys at a Thursday news conference, Heather Delgado left no doubt she has little regard for Nikki Araguz, the transgendered woman who married Delgado's former husband."She's all about publicity and it's been all about her from the beginning. And basically, she needs to understand it's not only about her," Delgado said.

[UK]Bethany Black: Life as a transsexual comedianBethany Black is a stand-up comedian. She also happens to be a post-operative transsexual lesbian - but don't dare try to pigeonhole herIt's difficult to know how to sum myself up. I'm tempted to go the Goodfellas route: as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a lesbian. (Photo: Bethany Black: 'After I transitioned, my life just got better and better.')

[UK]Health chiefs spend £20k on sex swap opsHEALTH chiefs in the Borders have revealed they have spent more than £20,000 on sex swap operations in the past year.The National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland has spent more than £1.5m over the past five years on sex-change operations for transsexuals.More than 100 patients have undergone gender reassignment surgery at private clinics and hospitals in England because Scotland lacks the specialist facilities needed to carry out the operations.

[Sweden]Transgender need more protection in lawTransgender people need more protection, the Liberal Party has announced, adding it proposes that the hate crime law be clarified so that it is clear that it also applies to this group, Sveriges Radio's news bulletin Ekot reported on Wednesday.The proposal is part of a national action plan to combat hate crimes, the report said."It is always important that the law be as specific as possible," Integration and Gender Equality Minister Nyamko Sabuni told Ekot. "It is also important to note that there is a group in our society who are neither bi- nor homosexual, but have a different gender identity than the one we believe that they have."

[Swaziland]DPM’s office will support, protect sex change teacherThe Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku has said his office will support and protect the teacher who underwent a sex change.The DPM said as his office was responsible for the welfare of all citizens in the country, they could offer support through counselling to Patricia who had her male organs removed and replaced with female ones.The teacher who was previously called Petros has been subject to some public humiliation and the DPM said this should not be the case.

[Nepal]Nepal to host first gay pride march: lawmakerNepal will this year hold its first gay pride parade, the country's only openly homosexual member of parliament told AFP on Tuesday.Sunil Pant said he hopes up to 3,000 gays, lesbians, transvestites and transsexuals from Nepal and neighbouring countries will march through the streets of the capital Kathmandu on August 25.

[New Zealand]Census becomes trans-inclusiveA trans group is welcoming a move giving transgender people the right to tick the box in Census forms which reflects the sex they actually are.Statistics New Zealand has completed its review into the Statistical Standard for Sex and released the following new guidelines:“In responding to a question on sex, most people are able to classify themselves as either male or female. A person who has undergone sex reassignment should be classified to that sex. A person who was of indeterminate sex and who has undergone sex assignment should be classified to that sex. Someone who is currently undergoing such procedures and living as the sex that they are taking steps towards would be classified as that sex.”

[Canada]Transgendered parade marshall Candis Cayne marches to her own drummer“Marching to a different drummer” is a bit of a tired cliché, unless you happen to be a transgendered parade marshall, in which case it’s simply the honest truth. The glamorous actress Candis Cayne, neé Brendan McDaniel, has always marched to her own beat, first by transitioning from a man to a woman, and then by beating the odds and actually making a go of her acting career in L.A. If ever a person was born to be a grand marshall at Vancouver’s illustrious pride parade — a mantle shared with many icons of the LGBT community — it’s Cayne. (Photo)

[USA]Hate Crimes on the Rise, as Non-Profit Budgets are SlashedThe National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), a division of the New York City Anti-Violence Project, released a report about hate or violent crimes against the LGBT community. The findings are startling, with murder against LGBT individuals at the second-highest level seen in the past decade.Ironically, or morbidly, the findings seem to correlate the rise in violence with the passage of federal hate crime laws. They show the highest spike in incidents against the LGBT community in October 2009, which coincides with the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

[New Zealand]Cross-dresser jailed for raping bondage partnerA Rotorua cross-dresser has been jailed for raping a woman who took part in bondage sessions with him.Gordon Murray Waite, 42, was convicted by a jury in June of raping the woman in her home in March last year. He had jumped out of her wardrobe wearing only a women's G-string and raped her as she was preparing for bed.

[USA]Federal Housing Protections for Transgender TenantsAs Change.org's Adam Amir put it, the Obama administration has tossed the gay and transgender communities a few more crumbs. First, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan announced earlier this month that the agency would pursue cases of housing discrimination against LGBT tenants. Now there's news that HUD is expanding its interpretation of federal housing policy to include protections for gender identity.

[USA]New national trans network formed; local on steering committeeA national network of state and local transgender advocacy groups -- dubbed the Trans Advocacy Network -- has been formed in order to build a stronger nationwide movement. Gunner Scott, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), will sit on the steering committee.

[CO, USA]Colorado Sex-Change Doctor Considering MoveA town nicknamed the "sex change capital of the world" could be losing a doctor who has performed hundreds of the operations.Dr. Marci Bowers said Monday she is "98 percent sure" she will be moving to the San Francisco area Oct. 1."There are advantages to being in a bigger city with access to airports," said Bowers, adding that Trinidad's location about a three-hour drive south of Denver was a barrier for some potential patients.

[MA, USA]Panel mulls testimony from transgender group, Capone'sThe doorman at Capone's Italian American Restaurant looked at the members of a local transgender social club and pointed to a sign that read "Positive ID Required.""I said, 'Not a problem,'" Ashley Bottoms, the founder of Sisters Family, recalled last night. Members had their driver's licenses, the same ones they had previously used to get into the Peabody restaurant and nightclub."They have to match, exactly," the doorman said, according to Bottoms' testimony to the city's Licensing Board. Bottoms protested, arguing that people change their appearance all the time: They get a haircut, they shave or grow facial hair.

[OR, USA]TransActive Releases “You Are What You’re Born…”A new video by TransActive Education & Advocacy examines the “negative cumulative effect that oppressive and exploitative media representations have on all transgender people, especially children and youth.”

[Kuwait]Transvestite nuisancePolice have arrested four cross-dressers and referred them to the General Department for Criminal Investigation for creating a nuisance inside a public park, reports Al-Anba daily.According to reports the arrest came when the transvestites entered a public park and began harassing women and young girls. When the park security guards tried to evict the foursome, they beat the guards and the latter called the police.

[India]Bangalore University scores a first, opens to third sexBangalore University is bending the gender. It will soon allow eligible transgenders pursuing higher education to take admission and avail the reservation quota of one seat in each of the 60 post-graduate (PG) courses that it offers.

[Canada]Ontario moves to end CAMH death grip on trans health servicesThe Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the infamous Toronto facility known for regressive and humiliating treatment of transgender clients, is about to lose the monopoly that allowed them to become the most notorious “gender clinic” in the world. A Provincial Trans Health Project Advisory Committee is being formed to address this problem that emerged in Ontario over 40 years ago and has been a problem ever since.

[Canada]'Huge learning experience'A concert by internationally lauded pianist Sara Davis Buechner is among the highlights of this year's Queer Arts Festival.The 51-year-old Buechner, a professor at the University of B.C., has played since she was a three-year-old in New York. She trained at Juilliard, and drew raves at her New York City concert debut at age 24.

[USA] [Commentary]20 years from now: wishful thinking?I was reminded this morning: the wheel turns slowly for trans individuals. My legal name has been changed for over five years; yet, for three years I have been wrangling with the Social Security Administration and the IRS to get my name legally changed on tax records. I decided to go up to the Winston-Salem office and, once and for all, get this fixed. Even though I had brought enough documentation (I thought), the clerk rudely informed me that she would be unable to effect the change without a properly amended birth certificate. Great! Stuck in the classic trans Catch 22. No money equals no surgery equals no amended birth certificate equals no money. I can’t afford my surgeries and the fact that the IRS has screwed up my credit by refusing to make the name change has been partially to blame.

[USA]Transgender Man Thomas Beatie Due With Third ChildThomas Beatie, the world's first transgender man to give birth, is expecting a third child any day now, RadarOnline.com first reported.Beatie gave birth to his first child, daughter Susan, on June 29, 2008 in an Oregon hospital. Austin followed a year later.“He's in full-term now and passed his due date,” an unnamed source close to the family said.

[AZ, USA]Should Gender Transitioning Start At Age 9?The Arizona Daily Star today published an interesting article on what many consider to be a contentious topic: transgender children. Profiled is 9-year-old Josie Claudine Romero, who was born a boy and, at the age of 5, was diagnosed by a doctor with gender identity disorder. She has lived as a boy for the last three years and, according to the piece, will soon start to take "drugs to prevent her from going through puberty as a boy. As a teen she hopes to begin female hormone therapy. When she's an adult, she expects to have sexual reassignment surgery."

[Swaziland]Petros becomes PatriciaA Swazi male teacher has become a woman after undergoing a sex change procedure.Her name used to be Petros but she is now known as Patricia.She is even dating a man.She decided that she no longer wanted to be a man after discovering that she was trapped in a man’s body. (Photo)

[Uganda]Country Rejects AU Gay GroupUganda has opposed the pending recognition of a South African gay rights group, Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL), as an official observer at all African Union conferences, and to contribute to the NGO's forum.

[India]Workshop on transgenders heldStudents from several city colleges on Friday learnt the art of film making and got insights into the life of transgenders at a technical workshop at Loyola College.

[USA]Trans protections for housing implementedThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has provided new guidance on the Fair Housing Act, instructing HUD staff that discrimination against transgender people can be addressed under the law’s existing ban on gender discrimination. The policy decision offers additional help to transgender people who experience discrimination.

[AZ, USA]Meet Josie, 9: No secret she's transgenderWearing a khaki skirt and black tank top with a splash of heart-shaped rhinestones, 9-year-old Josie Romero skips across her family's living room, eager to show off her Great Dane, her little sister, and the birds in her backyard.When asked about her necklace - a silver triangle on a black cord - she beams."This is a transgender symbol," she says of the circle that joins the symbols for male and female with a third symbol that combines the first two.(Photo: Josie and her mother, Venessia Romero, put final touches on their pizza. Mom says she's just following Josie's lead. "Shedding our preconceived ideas of who our child ought to be" is a necesssary struggle, she says.)Being 'out' and transgender - at the age of 9Photo gallery: Josie Romero, transgender child

[NC, USA]Coastal: Trans member denied, but still fightingDiscrimination is not new to country club-styled or private social communities. Jews faced this for decades, as well as African-Americans.Now, there’s a new group to enter the arena.At the Hanover Seaside Club it seems that transgender applicants are being treated the same. Rachael Gieschen, 69, whose grandfather co-founded this coastal club in 1898, was recently given the nay-nod with regard to her membership status.

[VA, USA]Virginia Governor's Former In-Law Seeks Transgendered RightsThe issue of transgendered rights is hitting close to home for Virginia's governor.His former brother-in-law identifies as a woman and is speaking out.Robyn Deane told ABC 7 News reporter Greta Kreuz that she's struggled since she was a child with this and would probably have killed herself if she had to go on as a man. (Photo)

[Egypt]Ministry takes legal action against sex change surgeonThe Egyptian Minister of Health has shut down a clinic in Asyut while its owner is questioned on criminal charges of performing sex change operations. Plastic surgeon Mahmoud Eteifi was reported to the ministry by the Medical Syndicate for operating on a 22-year-old man who wanted to be a woman.Gender transformation is illegal in Egypt unless the patient receives approval from the syndicate and the Ministry of Health. An applicant must be tested and scanned to prove the sex change is meant to overcome a physical problem and not for personal preference. Islam Salah Salem, who underwent the surgery to become Nora Salah Salem, has been moved to another hospital until he recovers from surgery the syndicate has criticized as a failure.Egypt’s leading psychiatrist comments on transsexual case

[India]Now, law schools open to third sexAcknowledging their difference, premier national law schools will include an 'Others' category for transgenders in application forms from the next academic year.National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bangalore vice-chancellor Prof R Venkata Rao told TOI this was an important move in the area of human rights. "During interaction with transgenders, they pointed out that in application forms, it was always Male or Female in the gender category but there's no mention of Transgenders or Others. This got us thinking."

[Canada]Moncton woman founding first provincial group to assist trans peopleAt nearly 35 years old, married, living a cookie-cutter life, Joe made a drastic, life-altering realization: she had been born in the wrong body. Joe decided to become Josie, and to undergo a sex change."I felt these feelings my entire life, but never knew transitioning would be possible," she told Here in a recent interview.

[FL, USA]Elegant Elliot Still Fighting for the Right to Dress Like a GirlElegant Elliot Offen, the Howard Stern sidekick whose bodacious body earned him 20 hours in a Miami jail cell, is still fighting the local hotel he says had him "falsely imprisoned." But now the hotel is trying to get the case thrown out, leaving Offen's $21 million lawsuit hanging by a g-string. (Photo)

[IL, USA]Protest Planned Against ’Americans for Truth’ Anti-Gay WorkshopAn anti-gay Illinois-based blog has set up what it calls a "Truth Academy" for children as young as 14, purportedly to "train young people (as well as older pro-family advocates) how to answer ’gay’ activist misinformation and fight the homosexual-bisexual-transsexual agenda."

[Thailand]These “girls” just wanna have fun — all the way to the police stationGirls Night Out took on a whole new meaning by early Wednesday morning. Pattaya police officers and volunteers went to Najomtien Beach after receiving complaints from tourists that several ladyboys came out nightly to sell sexual services and possibly drugs to foreigners on the beach.Fourteen transsexuals were arrested and taken to the police station.

[Canada]Mozart, Chopin and gender reassignmentClassical pianist shares transformative journey at Queer Arts FestivalShe's smart, funny and wildly talented and she used to be a man.That's not what classical music pianist Sara Davis Buechner usually wants audiences to focus on when they see her perform. She'd rather her recitals be about her critically acclaimed renderings of classical and contemporary pieces. But on July 30, she'll sketch her life story with words, Bach, Mozart and Chopin in an event called Crossing the Concourse as part of the 2010 Queer Arts Festival, July 27 to Aug. 14.(Photo: Dan Toulgoet, Vancouver courier - Sara Davis Buechner sketches her life as talented concert pianist who used to be man through words and music in an event called Crossing the Concourse)

[CA, USA]Sisters Distribute Pink Saturday Funds to Worthy CharitiesThe Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc., a benefit fundraising corporation of queer nun volunteers celebrating 31 years of service, held a grants distribution party at the Eagle tavern on July 18 during a beer/ soda bust. The funds had been raised as gate donations at The Sister’s annual Pink Saturday block party, each night before the Pride Parade. Sister Dionna Cross was in charge of the funds distribution, naming each of the recipients and their individual missions.(Photo by Rink - Sisters Anni Coque L’Doo and Sharon Dypity collected contributions for the buffet and drinks, and there was a raffle, saintings, and grant checks were distributed.)

[ID, USA]Idaho's Uniform LGBT Hate Crime Reporting, Not So UniformIdaho is not among 22 states reporting hate violence targeted toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Program issued its annual report for 2009 last week.Accurately quantifying anti-LGBT hate crime in Idaho is difficult in part because of a disconnect between federal, state and local reporting criteria. Additionally, LGBT people are less likely to report hate crime for fear of being outed or retribution, especially in conservative and rural areas. Human rights activists say there are also concerns about police harassment or indifference.

[MA, USA]LGBT Activist Gunner Scott Speaks OUTIn this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Gunner Scott, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition who has been involved with the transgender rights movement since 1998. He's a nationally recognized activist and was one of the attendees at Obama’s 2010 LGBT Event at the White House. (Photo)

[NY, USA]NY's Dignity Act to protect gay, lesbian & transgender studentsNew York State is creating the first-ever anti-bullying law to protect students in terms of their gender, manner of expression, and sexual orientation.New York State is on the verge of passing an anti-bullying bill to protect all state students from bullying and harassment on the basis of their gender, their manner of expression and their sexual orientation.

quinta-feira, julho 22, 2010

[International]ILGA launches a world Directory of LGBTI and allied organisationsILGA is launching a world Directory of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex organizations accessible through its website www.ilga.org. This service which lists ILGA member groups as well as non members also includes trade unions, women’s or human rights organizations in an attempt to create bridges with NGOs which are not working specifically on LGBTI rights but include or support this agenda. ILGA’s membership includes for example the city of Barcelona and Amsterdam or multi-million member global trade union Public Services International.

[International]At the UN, a Hard-Fought Win for an LGBT LeaderOn Monday in New York, the United States spearheaded a successful effort in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to accredit the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), a U.S.-based NGO whose respected work over 20 years has shed light on discrimination, combated HIV/AIDs, and promoted human rights around the world. The move, which President Barack Obama called an “important step forward for human rights,” enriches the community of NGOs that inform, influence, and hold accountable UN members.

[UK]Man denies murdering trans woman Destiny LaurenA man accused of killing a trans woman in November last year in Kentish Town, London, has gone on trial.Leon Fyle, 22, who is unemployed, strangled 29-year-old Destiny Lauren after visiting her for sex, a court heard.Ms Lauren, who was began her transition at the age of 17, worked as a prostitute from her flat on Leighton Crescent.Her brother Linden had been staying with her but left the flat when she had a customer, the court was told.

[Uganda]Despite Pressure, Uganda Still BleakUgandan activist Valentine Kalende reports that international pressure has helped slow the progress of that nation's antigay bill. The outlook for gay people, however, remains discouraging, according to Voice of America.

[South Africa]Sex change made staffer 'impossible'Colleagues of a woman who claims she was unfairly dismissed from her job because she underwent a sex change said she became impossible to work with and they started to fear her.Three colleagues of 43-year-old Christine Ehlers, previously known as Chris, testified in the Johannesburg Labour Court yesterday that Ehlers - who was diagnosed as bipolar - came into the office in the morning, threw her diary and keys onto the desk and mumbled under her breath.

[Singapore] [Blog/Commentary]What’s an “Ah Kua”?Ah Kua is local Chinese dialect (pejorative) for effeminate man. Gay men and transgender women all suffer from the “ah kua” label in Singapore.The Ah Kua Show draws its inspiration from the infamous “ladyboy” cabaret shows in Bangkok and Pattaya. When I was a child, my parents used to travel to Bangkok on vacation to watch the “Ah Kua” shows there amongst other excursions. I was fascinated by the beautiful women, their extravagant feather boas and fancy footwork. But my mum warned me that they were really “men dressed up as women”. She also warned me against sitting on the toilet seats which were likely stained with the HIV/AIDS virus.

[ID, USA]Trans Bomb Suspect in Mental HospitalA transgender woman who was arrested for allegedly putting fake bombs around her trailer, is now at a mental health facility, according to KTVB, an Idaho news outlet.Catherine Carlson was scheduled to appear in court on July 19 to face charges for placing fake bombs around her trailer, then setting her trailer and truck on fire. Carlson allegedly ran down the street naked before authorities arrested her.

[MA, USA]A Cinderella storyComing from the street to the catwalk, Boston’s own Jasmina Andino is competing in this year’s Miss Trans New England pageant.For Jasmina Andino, becoming a beauty queen would be a Cinderella story: a rags-to-riches tale complete with jewelry, make-up, and lots and lots of shoes.Andino is the only Bostonian competing in the second annual Miss Trans New England Pageant, which takes place on Sept. 4 in Northampton. (Photo)

[MO, USA]Missouri Governor Issues Employment ProtectionsMissouri Gov. Jay Nixon recently issued Executive Order 10-24 at the National Conference of the NAACP in Kansas Ciity. The Executive order extends employment protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons working in the Executive Branch of Government of the State of Missouri, requires the Executive Branch to file an annual workplace diversity plan and encourages adoption of the same protections for LGBT employees by all branches of Missouri Government.

[UK]Transvestite heroin addict stole clothes from High Street store to buy drugsA transvestite heroin addict stole children's clothes in the hope of selling them for drug money.Philip Garside snatched £111 of clothing from Boots in Lincoln's High Street – just weeks after a drug den he lived in was shut down.Lincoln magistrates heard he had been living rough in the city ever since.

[France]Transgender Model Poses for Givenchy Campaign in French VogueThe Fall 2010 Givenchy campaign has a few unexpected surprises. Italian designer Riccardo Tisci hired ten models for the campaign. French Vogue decided, though, to feature one of the models nude, which happened to be Tisci's transgender personal assistant, Lea T.Lea T. is not unfamiliar with the modeling world. She has modeled for Givenchy's haute couture show and has also posed, privates covered, for last month's Italian Vogue. While some have criticized Tisci for using his assistant as a marketing ploy, he remarked that she “exemplifies the masculine-feminine dichotomy that has become one of his design signatures.”

[South Africa]Sacking 'not over sex change'Christine Ehlers - sacked after having sex-change operations - was dismissed because she was incompetent, moody, irrational, caused fights at the office, and was unable to work with colleagues, the Johannesburg Labour Court was told yesterday.In the dispute between Ehlers and multinational steel retailer Bohler Uddeholm Africa, the company's lawyer, Louise Charoux, argued that Ehlers's sex change had nothing to do with her dismissal.

[India]Transgender? No problem at Bangalore UniversityMale, Female or Others - the last category is the revolutionary step taken by Bangalore University in ensuring that trans-gender students are not lost when asked to define their sex on the application form.

[ID, USA]Trans Bomb Suspect in Mental HospitalA transgender woman who was arrested for allegedly putting fake bombs around her trailer, is now at a mental health facility, according to KTVB, an Idaho news outlet.Catherine Carlson was scheduled to appear in court on July 19 to face charges for placing fake bombs around her trailer, then setting her trailer and truck on fire. Carlson allegedly ran down the street naked before authorities arrested her.Bangalore university recognises the ‘other’ sex

[MO, USA]Missouri Governor Issues Employment ProtectionsMissouri Gov. Jay Nixon recently issued Executive Order 10-24 at the National Conference of the NAACP in Kansas Ciity. The Executive order extends employment protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons working in the Executive Branch of Government of the State of Missouri, requires the Executive Branch to file an annual workplace diversity plan and encourages adoption of the same protections for LGBT employees by all branches of Missouri Government.

[MI, USA]Julie Nemecek up for appointment to the Jackson Human Relations CommissionJulie Nemecek, who lost her job at Spring Arbor University after undergoing a gender transformation from a man to a woman, is up for an appointment to the Jackson Human Relations Commission.Nemecek said Monday she sees serving on the commission as an extension of her role as a teacher, advocate and minister on diversity and gender identity issues.